The present invention relates to a scribing apparatus for forming a scribe line on a surface of a work (workpiece) made of a hard brittle material such as plate glass, ceramics plate, a semiconductor or the like.
A scribe apparatus which forms a scribe line on the work surface while applying vibrations to a cutter is conventionally known. This scribing apparatus has a vibration generation member generating a vibration in a scribe body, and the scribing apparatus vibrates the cutter disposed on a lower end of the scribe body. When the cutter stays in contact with the work surface, the scribe body vibrates without changing a position of the cutter. Therefore a pressure applied to the work by the cutter vibrates periodically, and a deep vertical cracks is generated on the work surface in a work thickness direction.
In the known scribe apparatus, when the scribe body is vibrated, it is likely that the cutter will be bounced off the work surface and can not stay in contact with the work surface. As a result, damage such as horizontal (lateral) cracks or the like are generated and fin g vertical cracks are not formed on the work surface. In order to solve this problem, the Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. HEI 9-278473 discloses an scribing apparatus which applies a static load to the work by using a plate spring or making the weight of the scribe body heavier so as to prevent the cutter from being bounced off the work surface.
Also, as shown in FIG. 9, inventors propose a scribe apparatus that prevent a cutter from being bounced off a work surface by using a weight 1 and a spring 2 (the Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. HEI 11-157860). In this scribe apparatus, the weight 1 is provided above the scribe body 4 through the spring 2, and gravity of the weight 1 applied to the scribe body 4 prevent the cutter 3 from being bounced off the work 5. Total gravity of mass W1 of the weight 1 and mass W2 of the scribe body 2 are given to the work 5 as a static load.
However, in a way of applying the static load to the work by making the weight of the scribe body heavier, since the static load applied to the work becomes excessive, a horizontal cracks are most likely generated near the scribe line on the surface of the work. Conversely, if the static load is too underestimated, the cutter will be bounded off the work surface, and continuous micro-cracks will not be secured.
Also, in a way of applying the static load to the work by using a plate spring, resonance will be easy to occur between the scribe body and the plate spring, so the scribe line will not be formed under a certain condition of a frequency of the vibration generation member or a material of the work.
Further in the scribe method in the Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. HEI 11-157860, if a frequency of the vibration generation member frequency is close to a natural frequency in a system of the spring 2 and the weight 1, the weight 1 will resonate, and an undesirable elastic load will be applied to the scribe body 4 by the spring 2. Also, since the weight 1 is provided, the static load applied to the work 5 from the cutter 3 becomes larger, damage such as horizontal cracks is occurred on the surface of the work 5. Further, if the scribe body 4 and the weight 1 are not guided sufficiently, the scribe body 4 will totter, and an appropriate dynamic load will not be applied to the work 5.
An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide a scribing apparatus for forming deep vertical cracks along a scribe line without occurring the damage on the work surface. It is another object of the present invention to provide a scribe apparatus of that type which applies an appropriate static and dynamic load to the work from the cutter.
This and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing a scribing apparatus which forms a scribe line on a work, comprising;
a scribe body having a cutter and a vibration generation member which vibrates the cutter periodically;
a support device having a support body for slidably supporting the scribe body to be movable; and
a pair of magnets repulsing each other disposed between the support body and the scribe body, wherein the pair of magnets apply a floatage to the scribe body by using magnetically. repelling force.
According to the invention, it is possible to apply an appropriate static load to the work from the cutter. Therefore, scribing apparatus can form deep cracks along a scribe line without occurring a damage on the work surface.
Further, in preferred embodiments, it is further provided with another pair of magnets repulsing each other, one of said another pair of magnets being disposed on the scribe body and another one of said another pair of magnets being disposed on the support body, one of said pair of magnets being disposed on the scribe body and another one of said second pair of magnets being disposed on the support body, and wherein magnetically repelling force applied to the scribe body by said another pair of magnets and magnetically repelling force applied to the scribe body by said pair of magnets opposing to each other in a direction parallel to a direction in which the vibration generation member vibrates.
Further, in preferred embodiments, it is further provided with a magnetic force adjustment mechanism which adjusts magnetically repelling force by changing a position of at least one of the pair of magnets.
Further, in preferred embodiments, one of the pair of magnets is composed of a electromagnet, which adjust magnetically repelling force by changing an impressed electric current of said electromagnet.
Also, to achieve the above object, the inventors thought out that an appropriate dynamic load, can be applied to the work from the cutter by providing a weight which prevent the cutter from floating up in the air, transmitting a load from the weight to the scribe body by using magnetic force, and said weight being to be movable in a vibration direction.
That is the above objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing, in one aspect,
a scribe body having a cutter and a vibration generation member which vibrates the cutter periodically;
a weight applying a load to the scribe body so as to prevent the cutter from floating up in the air;
a load transmission means for transmitting a load from the weight to the scribe body by using magnetic force;
and wherein the weight is to be movable in a direction parallel to a direction in which the vibration generation member vibrates.
According to the scribing apparatus of the above apparatus, since the weight floated by using magnetic force vibrates periodically with the scribe body vibrating periodically, magnetically repelling force seldom changes. Therefore, it is possible to apply an appropriate dynamic force to the work from the work. Also, since a spring connecting the weight with the scribe body directly is not provided, the weight will not resonate. Further, even if the cutter runs on the work, or a thickness of the work changes, or the work is undulated, since the weight moves and follows a movement of the cutter, magnetically repelling force seldom changes in these cases. It is to be noted that the dynamic load is a load applied to the work from the cutter caused by vibration of the scribe body.
In preferred embodiments, said load transmission means is composed of a pair of load applying magnets repulsing each other, one of said load applying magnets being attached to said weight and another one of said load applying magnets being attached to said scribe body.
Further, in preferred embodiment, a spring is disposed between said weight and said load transmission device or between said load transmission device and said scribe body.
According to this aspect of the present invention, since the spring and the load transmission device are connected in series, the vibration of the scribe body will be complex, and it will be possible to apply a complex dynamic load vibrating to the work from the cutter. Therefore, deep vertical cracks can be formed even on the materials such as silicon and so forth that are difficult to be cut with a sine wave.
In preferred embodiment, said spring is composed of a flat spring attached to the weight, and said one of the load applying magnets is attached to the flat spring.
In this structure, it is possible to connect the spring and the load transmission device in series. In return for these, said flat spring may be attached to said scribe body, and said one of the load applying magnets may be attached to said flat spring attached to said scribe body.
In preferred embodiment, the scribing apparatus may further comprise a static load adjustment device adjusting a static load applied to the work from the cutter, when the vibration generation member is static, by using magnetic force. In this embodiment said static load is a load always applied to the work from the cutter, even when the scribe body does not vibrate. And said static load originates in gravity of the scribe body and the weight.
On the occasion of cutting the work made of a hard brittle material, heightening the dynamic load and lowering the static load can form a deep scribe line on the work without damaging the work surface. According to this preferred embodiment, since the scribing apparatus comprises the static load adjustment device adjusting the static load applied to the work from the cutter, it is possible to lower the static load with the mass of the scribe body remaining heavy. Therefore, it is possible to lower the static load with the dynamic load remaining large, and to provide a scribe apparatus which is fitted to cut the hard brittle material.
In preferred embodiment, the scribing apparatus may further comprises a base for supporting said weight and said scribe body, wherein said scribe body and said weight are attached to the base through rectilinear guides so that said scribe body and said weight being movable in a direction parallel to a direction in which the vibration generation member vibrates.
According to this preferred embodiment, since the scribe body and the weight move without tottering, an appropriate dynamic load can be applied to the work from the cutter.
In preferred embodiment, said static load adjustment device is composed of a pair of floatage applying magnets repulsing each other, which apply a floatage to the scribe body, one of the floatage applying magnets is attached to said scribe body and another one is attached to said base.
According to this preferred embodiment, repulsive force of the pair of floatage applying magnets gives a floatage to the scribe body so that the static load becomes lower.
In preferred embodiment, the scribing apparatus may further comprises a level controlling mechanism changing the height of one of the floatage applying magnets attached to the base. Also, in preferred embodiment, said one of the floatage applying magnets attached to the base is composed of an electromagnet capable of changing a magnetic force.
According to these preferred embodiment, the static load can be appropriately adjusted correspond to the work.
In preferred embodiment, the scribing apparatus may further comprises mass changing device changing mass of said weight or said scribe body. It may be possible to use an additional weight which is added by means such as bolts or adhesive for connecting the additional weight to the scribe body or the weight
According to these preferred embodiment, changing the mass of the weight or the scribe -body appropriately adjusts the static load and the dynamic load correspond to the work.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a scribing apparatus which forms a scribe line on a work comprising,
a scribe body having a cutter and a vibration generation member which vibrates the cutter periodically;
an elastic member applying a load to the scribe body so as to prevent the cutter from floating up in the air:
a load transmission device disposed between the spring and the scribe body, said load transmission device transmitting the load from the spring to the scribe body by using magnetic force. It may be possible to use a spring or a rubber or the like as the elastic member.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect, since the elastic member is deformed as the scribe body vibrates, repulsive magnetic force will not change. Therefore an appropriate dynamic load can be applied to the work from the cutter.